What Really Matters
by Isis Uptown
Summary: After being disappointed by Henry, Betty sees Gio in a new light.


**What Really Matters**

Betty walked through the front door, defeated. She had gone to Henry's apartment for a birthday surprise only to find Charlie there. As she entered the house, she could smell her father's delicious cooking and she realized there was more activity than usual in the house.

"Betty, you poor thing," said Hilda, "Henry called us to say you were on the way home. Papi was already cooking _chiles rellenos_, so he decided to make _flan_, too." Hilda led Betty into the dining room.

Ignacio entered from the kitchen with a platter of food. "_¡Feliz cumpleaños, mija! _I'm so sorry about the whole Henry thing, but I'm glad you're spending the evening with us."

Betty smiled weakly. She appreciated her father's concern. "Thank you, Dad." Betty hugged her father. As they broke away from the embrace, Gio entered from the kitchen. What was he doing here?

"Hi, Betty. Happy birthday." Gio noticed the colorful print blouse and skirt Betty was wearing. She looked very _festive_. Well, it was her birthday, and she wanted to dress up. She wanted to dress up for her _boyfriend_, Egg Salad on White.

"Gio, why are you here?" Betty asked, accusingly.

"_Mija,_ don't be rude to our guest," admonished Ignacio, "Gio wanted to discuss recipes, and when it turned out that you were coming home for dinner, I asked him to stay. He's your friend, isn't he?"

Betty realized that no one else knew she'd told Henry that she would avoid Gio. As far as her family knew, Gio was her friend. "I'm sorry, Dad. I'm sorry, Gio; I didn't mean to sound rude. I'm just surprised."

Gio was enjoying the dinner with Betty and her family. Señor Suarez was one hell of a cook. Gio wanted to spend some time with him and learn some recipes. Hilda was a lot of fun, and Justin seemed to know a lot of gossip about people Gio didn't know. Betty was clearly heartbroken about the situation with Henry, but her love of her family, and the pleasure she took in their company, was evident.

"So, Gio," said Justin, "why didn't you and my mom go out again?" Gio was at a loss to reply.

Fortunately, Hilda was quick to answer, "Justin, Gio and I had a great time, but I realized that I still need a little more time." Ignacio had filled Gio in on Santos' tragic death, and, and he nodded respectfully. He glanced at Hilda gratefully.

"So, Aunt Betty," said Justin, after a moment's pause, "how long is Henry's girlfriend in town?"

Hilda interrupted, "Betty is Henry's girlfriend, Justin. Charlie is his, his. . ."

Gio supplied the missing phrase, "Baby Mama." Justin giggled at the expression.

Betty was not amused. "I don't know how long Charlie will be in town. Her visit was unexpected."

Ignacio thought a moment and then said "The baby is due very soon; won't Henry go back to Tucson then?"

"Well, yes," replied Betty, "it's _his_ baby. He wants to be there."

The phrasing caught Gio's attention. "You say 'it's _his_ baby' like there was some question."

Betty stopped short. She hadn't told her family about Charlie and Dr. Farkus, and there was certainly no way Gio would know such a thing. Somehow, though, she wanted to tell them all. She took a deep breath, and began, "Charlie was cheating on Henry with Dr. Farkus."

"Your orthodontist?" asked Justin, adding, "This is like a _telenovela_!"

"Yes. When Henry learned about it, he demanded a DNA test, which showed that the baby is his." Betty explained.

"I hope he saw the results with his own eyes," said Hilda, "that girl could be lying about it."

Gio knew he shouldn't be so amused by this situation. "So, it's still possible the baby isn't Egg – uh, Henry's."

Justin, enjoying the scandal, chimed in, "Hey, if it's not Henry's baby, then Henry could stay here with you, Aunt Betty."

Hearing it put that way, Gio wasn't so amused anymore. He didn't want Egg Salad to stay with Betty. "You know what," he said, "I'm sure it is Henry's baby, and he'll be a wonderful father."

Betty was caught off guard by Gio's sincerity. "Thank you, Gio." But, well, why was Gio defending Henry's paternity?

As the family finished Ignacio's delicious flan, Gio issued an invitation. "Tomorrow, at Kinessa Park, there's a Zydeco music festival. It's a benefit for Louisiana victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Why don't we all go? Señor Suarez, you and I could learn about Creole food, and we could all enjoy the music."

Hilda answered, "That sounds fun. I'm not sure what Zydeco music is, but if I can dance to it, I'm in."

Gio smiled, "You can definitely dance to it. Justin, I'll ask my sister, Antonella, to join us. She's about your age, and she knows some stuff about Hallie and Spencer, like you do."

Justin rolled his eyes, "_Heidi_ and Spencer."

As Ignacio agreed to go, Betty wondered if there was any way she could avoid joining the rest of them. Unless she told them she'd agreed to avoid Gio, there was really no way around it.

"How 'bout it, Betty?" asked Gio.

"Sure, I'm in." Betty said, as it occurred to her that a man who wanted to spend a day with her family was certainly a good man.

The next day's weather was bright and clear. Gio and his sister met the Suarez family at the park. Justin admired Antonella's outfit and accessories, and the two teenagers seemed to hit it off immediately.

"What _is_ this music?" asked Antonella.

"I don't know, but it's got _accordions_; this can't be good," replied Justin.

Gio enjoyed the music and was fascinated by the variety of food available. He especially wanted to learn about po-boys, long sandwiches made on French bread. Señor Suarez was fascinated by the fried shrimp, fried oyster, fried catfish, and all the other food Creoles saw fit to fry.

A band called Jeremy and the Zydeco Hot Boyz was playing. A tall, handsome black man wearing a cowboy hat asked Hilda if she'd like to dance. She quickly agreed; though she'd never danced to this kind of music before, she had no trouble catching on. Gio turned to Betty and said "Betty, let's dance."

Betty agreed. She wondered why she couldn't just say "No, thank you," to Gio. She certainly felt comfortable in his arms, and he led her capably. Maybe she couldn't say "No, thank you," because she didn't _want _to?

She was amused when she realized that the lyrics to the song were "_Lula, Lula, Lula, don't you go to bingo_." "Don't go to bingo! It sounds like the guy is telling his wife what not to do!" Betty said jokingly. Of course, she realized that she'd let Henry tell her what not to do. Not that she'd kept her word; she wasn't just seeing Gio, she was dancing with him, and enjoying herself greatly.

"Maybe she loses all their money when she goes to bingo. We don't know the whole story," answered Gio. "Hang on, I'm going to spin you, then dip you."

"What?" asked Betty, as Gio spun her, "Oh!" She caught on quickly and went with the spin. He pulled her back toward himself and dipped her. She looked up from the dip, into Gio's dark brown eyes. He gracefully pulled her upright again, pulled her close, and kissed her. Betty didn't pull back from the kiss. She realized that _this_, this was what she wanted.

Antonella, seeing this from the sidelines, nudged Justin, who said "Aunt Betty's whole _life_ is telenovela!"

Ignacio had been watching his daughters dance while quizzing a Creole man about andouille. He saw the kiss, too, and shook his head, saying "Ay, Betty!"

Betty and Gio came out of the kiss and stood still a moment. "Betty, I . . ." Gio stumbled. Betty smiled, gave him a quick peck and indicated they should keep dancing, but the song ended a few seconds later, so they walked off the dance floor hand in hand.

Hilda, who had been enjoying the dance, and her handsome partner, who turned out to be from Breaux Bridge, Louisiana (a place Hilda decided to look up when she got home), had missed the kiss. She noticed, however, her sister and Gio holding hands. "All right, Betty!" she said quietly.

Henry stood on the front steps of the Suarez house. No one was home, not even Betty's father, who seemed to always be home. Henry sighed and reached for his cell phone. As he started to press his speed dial, he heard a gaggle of voices. At the end of the block he saw Betty's father and Hilda, Justin, a teenage girl whom he realized was Sandwich Boy's snotty little sister, and Betty, _holding hands with Sandwich Boy._

"Ahem, Betty?" Henry said. Betty looked startled, then shocked. Henry looked from Betty to Gio and back to Betty.

Betty said to the rest of the group, "Go on in." Gio hesitated. "Go on in, Gio. Obviously I have to talk to Henry."

When the rest were indoors, Betty faced Henry. He waited for the inevitable "Henry, I can explain." It didn't come.

"Henry, I wish it didn't have to happen this way. You're leaving soon, and I haven't been feeling right about things anyway. Everything is on your terms. Even if there were no Gio, I feel like we'd have to end things now." Betty said.

Henry stood there, stunned, and replied, "Even if there were no Gio, and there _is _Gio."

"Yes, Henry. There is Gio," said Betty.

"I guess I'll see you at the office." Henry said, turning to leave.

Betty went inside the house, where all eyes turned to her. "What?" she said "I just broke up with Henry. It was for the best."

Gio beamed, taking Betty in his arms, "Yes, it was!"

Antonella rolled her eyes as Justin said "Telenovela!"

"Gio, how about you let go of my daughter, so you and I can get dinner started," Ignacio implored.

"Si, Señor Suarez," answered Gio.

"Call me Ignacio."

The End


End file.
